Senior Leader Paul Lehman writes–with characteristic understatement:

September 3 was a very good day at Gambell, with a WILLOW WARBLER all day, moving all over the near boneyard, finally seen by everyone; this was the second here this fall and only the seventh overall for Gambell and for North America. Alan Schmierer has posted a photo of this individual.

Another Old World warbler, a DUSKY WARBLER was found in the far boneyard this afternoon, where it was seen by all but usually only in flight. The BROWN SHRIKE continued for a second day, and was slightly more cooperative and photogenic than yesterday; photos will be posted soon.

A LITTLE BUNTING was seen briefly by several birders along the lower mountain slope, and a COMMON SNIPE seen well in flight from both the circular and near boneyards was only the third fall record here, about equal to the number of autumn records of Wilson’s Snipe and of snipe sp.

We also made a good count of 19 Red-throated Pipits and several Bluethroats and Gray-cheeked Thrushes on this partly cloudy day with light to borderline-moderate north winds.

Paul Lehman writes from Gambell:

Tuesday we had NE/NNE winds of 25-30 mph, and I didn’t have too much hope for any Asian landbirds. But then in the late morning I found a BROWN SHRIKE near the far bonyard. I turned to yell to the 15 birders near me, looked back, and the bird was gone.

It took a good two hours to finally re-find it, in the same area, and the 30 or so birders now on the island have all seen it.

The other “big” news, literally, was yesterday’s flight of 980 Emperor Geese, the largest one-day count I’ve ever had here (previous high was 650). Other recent dribs and drabs of interest the past three days include a Kittlitz’s Murrelet (I see one or two per autumn), two more Spectacled Eiders (one of which was dabbling with Pintails), 3 more Ancient Murrelets, a one-day count of 550,000 Crested Auklets, an apparent adult smithsonianus Herring Gull (I’ve seen about five or so out here), a total of 30 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, several more Bluethroats, and several wanderers from the Alaska mainland: Wilson’s Warbler, Red Fox Sparrow, two more Sooty Fox Sparrows, and White-crowned Sparrow.

Senior Leader Gavin Bieber’s time in Thailand is drawing to a close–far too soon!

I’m heading home tomorrow, so figured I should get a few more lines in before it all becomes a blur.

Khao Yai National Park is stunning. Connected to two other parks that stretch almost to the Cambodian border, this large park preserves a rare swath of protected old-growth lowland monsoon forest and retains most if not all of its megafauna.

Khao Yai preserves nearly all of its diverse megafauna. Photo: Jon Dunn.

Never before have I had the opportunity to hike isolated trails in areas with the potential for Tigers, and it’s a wonderful feeling. I’ve decided that even if one of us gets eaten, the trip will still be a resounding success!

That thought came back to mind as we hiked several kilometers through thick head-high grass and vine tangles…. A torrential rain squall thoroughly soaked us (about time we had rain in the rainy season), and we had to ford a running stream where a bridge had washed out. The eerie wails and bubbles of family groups of White-handed Gibbons provided a near constant backdrop to our time in the park, and watching these fascinating apes swing through the canopy, play, squabble, and chase a Black Giant Squirrel around was mesmerizing.

The birds didn’t disappoint either. On our first afternoon in the park we stumbled across a slow-moving wave of birds, the best mixed-species flock I’ve ever encountered, anywhere. We managed to stay with the flock for over an hour, finding more than thirty species including 4 gorgeous woodpeckers (Greater Flameback, Greater Yellownape, Black-and-buff, and Laced), more than 40 Long-tailed Broadbills, and Red-headed and Orange-breasted Trogons!

Just before our encounter with the mega-flock, we spent about an hour slowly moving through the forest with a troop of wild Northern Pig-tailed Macaques; they completely ignored our presence as they foraged all around us. At one point a play fight between two youngsters erupted just ten meters in front of me.

The trails were a bit muddy, with lots of fallen trees, leeches, muddy puddles, and mosquitos, but the park was simply magical. We participated in two night drives conducted by the park staff, and were treated to hundreds of Muntjac and Sambar Deer, two Asian Jackals, Small and Large Indian Civets, and Malayan Porcupine–all in just two hours!

A Jabiru is present in Louisiana, a potential first state record and one of only about a dozen ever recorded in the US. Details and photos of this great bird are here.

Jabiru, Venezuela. Photo: David Fisher.

Managing Director Rick Wright writes from Utah:

WINGS is well represented this week at the annual convention of the American Birding Association, being held this year at Sunbird, Utah. Gavin Bieber, Steve Howell, Rich Hoyer, Paul Lehman, and Chris Wood are all busy leading field trips, while Lauren Bosch is welcoming long-time WINGS participants and dispensing information to new ones.

And I’ve been helping out around the edges, birding and talking and having a great time seeing old WINGS friends and meeting new ones, in the field and at the hotel feeders. I tagged along with Chris Wood and Jessie Barry on Tuesday’s field trip to Bear River, where the birding was just as good as it had been on my first (and last!) visit there almost 30 years ago.

Photo: Rick Wright.

American Avocets were pleasingly abundant, and we wished only that we’d had more time to check through the many Plegadis ibis (here a nice White-faced Ibis) for the Glossy Ibis that we “just knew” had to be lurking out there. The best bird, though, of the trip and possibly of the entire convention, was a Black Brant out in the marshes, rare at any season in the interior west and pretty much unheard of in the summer.

Today I joined Gavin Bieber’s bus to Bridal Veil Falls and Sundance, beautiful places both, and both with fine birds. Black Swifts showed well at Bridal Veil, and a surprise singleton flew over Sundance in the afternoon, too–my first away from a “stake-out.” Vivian Park was good for American Dipper, with a noisy family of kids tucked away under one of the footbridges; the parents brought wet wigglers in every couple of minutes, unleashing even more squawking and shrieking from their hungry nestlings.

Photo: Rick Wright.

Now if only I could figure out a way to stow away on Gavin and Paul Lehman’s tour of Utah and Nevada for Himalayan Snowcock next week!